Sun, 24 Dec 2017 12:39:00 +0000
THE permanent thing in life, they say, is change. But man hardly wants it especially when he’s enjoying something.
It is 28 years or so, since the Engineering Services Corporation Limited (ESCO) was created under the Zambia Industrial and Mining Corporation (ZIMCO) in 1989, following the abolition of the Mechanical Services Department (MSD).
This state enterprise was established to mainly repair and maintain motor vehicles, various machinery and motorised pontoon service throughout Zambia. Since then, the Ministry of Works and Supply has been concerned with the increasing levels of misuse and abuse of government vehicles by some government officers.
Recently, the Minister of Works and Supply Matthew Nkhuwa said that the ministry had noted that some officers were using the vehicles for personal errands at the expense of government assignments.
He explained that his ministry had since intensified its surveillance and monitoring system to ensure that anyone found wanting was brought to book. He said that Government had also come up with more stiff measures which would not only be costly but also dismissible for officers who defy the rules.
Many of the government officers who regularly misuse and abuse government vehicles, and have become so accustomed to the vice that they would cringe when they hear of changes that would be taking place – such as that, the ministry had developed a draft comprehensive fleet management policy framework which would soon be submitted to cabinet to guide government institutions on the use of government vehicles.
However, it is time the Ministry of Works and Supply was allowed to adapt changes in the fleet management, repair and maintenance of motor vehicles. Change is inevitable and the Ministry of Works and Supply needs to be relevant in the present environment like its counterpart in Botswana. Just like ESCO was in Zambia, there is an outfit in charge of government vehicles called Central Transport Organsiation (CTO) in Botswana.
Botswana’s CTO is responsible for providing and maintaining the Botswana Government fleet used by all ministries and departments. It exists to provide reliable, environmentally sound, safe, economical, efficient and effective mechanical road transport services and expertise of international standards to Government ministries and departments.
This is targeted at enhancing their mobility and effectiveness. CTO commits itself to the delivery of services in a transparent, proactive, responsive, impartial and accountable manner in line with the government’s national development policies. In order to stop the misuse and abuse of government vehicles, CTO introduced a computerised system in 2013.
It was envisaged that there would be a significant decline in reported cases of misuse and abuse of government vehicles after the CTO rolled out the Fleet Tracking Maintenance and Management System (FTMMS), the following year.
The system was initially piloted in Gaborone where a total of over 200 vehicles had been installed with gadgets that enabled the surveillance of the vehicles and drivers to their exact point of location. The pilot ended in January, 2014. The CTO which manages over 9,000 government vehicles used by the various government departments had, over the years, recorded a substantial number of cases of misuse and abuse by both the drivers and officers of government vehicles commonly known as “BX”.
The physical measures used to combat misuse and abuse, included occasional mounting of road blocks with the police to apprehend culprits. In some cases, surprise audit of log books and spot checks were carried out. Unfortunately, the efficacy of these strategies were very minimal.
The FTMMS, was an effort by CTO to provide real time movement of a government vehicle and its driver. The tracking component of the FTMMS would provide ample evidence where misuse or abuse was committed to enable authorities to take appropriate action. Previously, it had been very difficult to pin drivers to an offence as it was not easy to prove commission.
Back home, in 2003 the Government of the Republic of Zambia decided to restructure the operations of ESCO which resulted in the scaling down of the activities to Pontoon Operations Services only. Consequently, most of the assets owned by ESCO were sold to private entities.
ESCO is currently headed by a managing director who is appointed by the board of directors of ESCO. The board of directors of ESCO are appointed by the Minister of Works and Supply.
Now, one would believe that nothing lasts forever – including the misuse and abuse of government vehicles, if a similar system to that of the FTMMS of Botswana was to be deployed in Zambia. What a dull life that would be, for those drivers and officers wedded to misuse and abuse of government vehicles.
